Alyssa Chisholm and Max Anderson

A MID-CEREMONY RAIN SHOWER DOESN'T DAMPEN THE FUN AT THIS BOULDER WEDDING. THEN... A RAINBOW.

July 24, 2016
Flagstaff Mountain and Chautauqua Park, Boulder

July 24, 2016, was a classic July afternoon in Colorado—and we all know what that means. One minute sunny, the next minute cloudy and the next minute: a downpour.

“It looked like the rain was holding off,” says Max Anderson, the bridegroom. “And then right when we were reading our vows to each other, it opened up.”

“There was this moment when I looked around at the guests and just laughed,” says bride Alyssa Chisholm (now Anderson), “and there was this collective sigh of relief from everyone, like, ‘OK, if the bride is cool with it, then we’re cool with it. Let’s do this thing.’ ”

Standing before an arch on Flagstaff Mountain that Alyssa’s dad built (adorned by greens from Sugar n’ Stems), Alyssa, a Boulder native, and Max, who grew up in New Hampshire, combined short traditional vows with their own personal vows. They based those in part on Lord Huron’s “Ends of the Earth,” a favorite song that they had printed on their program and that played as Alyssa walked down the aisle. (“To the ends of the earth would you follow me? There’s a world that was meant for our eyes to see.”)

“I was trying to convey my faithfulness to Alyssa, to be able to lead her, to help her feel heard and consider her needs throughout our marriage,” Max says. “Our faith is a big part of our lives, so to be faithful, to God as well.” As for Alyssa, “I wanted to convey that valuing our relationship with God would be the most important thing in our marriage but also following him through all of life and being respectful and a great support and partner.” Today, the two are both ministers, running the Grand Valley Church in Grand Junction.

In classic Colorado fashion, after the vows (and a 10-minute downpour), the sun came out— followed by a rainbow. (Cue the sighs.)

After an outdoor cocktail hour at Chautauqua Park in Boulder (perfect for drying out), the 175 guests moved inside for a sitdown dinner and dancing, DJ’d by a friend who goes by DJ Lex. “Once the ceremony was over, we got to relax and celebrate together with all of our best friends and family,” Alyssa says. “It’s the only time in our lives that I could imagine all of the people closest to us coming together.”